The palace corridors were quiet this early, filled with the kind of silence that felt intentional rather than accidental. Viora's boots clicked against polished marble as she made her way through the east wing, still dressed in her training gear from the morning session.
She hadn't bothered changing; the sweat drying on her skin felt more honest than the silk she'd be forced into later, all because she was royalty and they had dress codes.
She pushed through the heavy doors into the family dining hall. The low murmur of conversation snagged and stopped just long enough for everyone to register her arrival.
The room was smaller than the formal state dining room, designed for intimacy rather than political theater, but the air was still thick with the weight of the Lumina name. Tall windows let in the morning light, and the table was already half-full.
